DC COMICS: Super Friends (Ruby Spears Superman)
DC COMICS IN THE MEDIA DC ANIMATED MULTIVERSE JUSTICE LEAGUE IN THE MEDIA SUPER FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA SUPERMAN FAMILY IN THE MEDIA Superman is a 1988 animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions and Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name (coinciding with the character's 50th anniversary, along with the live-action Superboy TV series that year). Veteran comic book writer Marv Wolfman was the head story editor, and noted comic book artist Gil Kane provided character designs. SUPERMAN SEGMENTS This series is the third animated Superman series (the second was the Filmation-produced The New Adventures of Superman). It is also notable for being the first appearance of the Superman mythos following John Byrne's major relaunch of the character (the series reflected the new conception with a measured fidelity, such as having his major recurring enemy, Lex Luthor, as a corrupt billionaire industrialist as in the comics). Like the comics, Luthor is fully aware that the large ring he wears is fastened with a kryptonite stone. Other characters include Cybron (a pastiche of Brainiac whose Post-Crisis conception was still undecided at the time) and an appearance of Wonder Woman, which was her first non-print appearance since George Pérez's reworking of William Moulton Marston's superheroine for the post-Crisis era. Cyrene the Sorceress of Time was portrayed by voice actress B. J. Ward, who had previously provided her voice as Wonder Woman in the final season of the Super Friends, which was called The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians. Classic characters included Jimmy Olsen, bow-tied in appearance, and Perry White's gruff exclamations of "Great Ceasar's Ghost" both fulfilling their classic concepts. Lois Lane maintained being an assertive woman with initiative, both in style and business attitude. A new character to the series, inspired by Miss Tessmacher of the live-action Superman movie from 1978, was Jessica Morganberry, who appeared to be the ditzy blonde live-in girlfriend of Lex Luthor, with whom he fully confided his schemes. Superman/Clark Kent was voiced by Beau Weaver, who would later go on to voice Mister Fantastic in the 1994 Marvel animated series Fantastic Four. SUPERMAN FAMILY SEGMENTS The final four minutes of each Superman episode were devoted to a brief snapshot from the "Superman Family Album". These biographical segments deviated from the contemporary comics to have Clark have his powers fully developed since infancy as opposed to developing as he matured, which causes problems as in the earlier episodes he uses his powers whenever it suits him, and in the later episodes as he gets older he lessens the use of his Kryptonian superpowers, preferring to use his mind to solve problems first. These stories depicted the Smallville misadventures of the young Kryptonian immigrant as he faces typical childhood trials with his first day at school, grocery shopping, an overnight scouting campout, getting a driver's license, his first date, graduation from high school, and ultimately his premiere as Superman. Category:Comic Books in the Media Category:Comic Book Cartoons Category:DC Comics Category:Superman Category:Super Friends Category:Superman Family Category:Superman Clark Kent Category:Lois Lane Category:Perry White Category:Jimmy Olsen Category:Daily Planet Category:Lex Luthor Category:Wonder Woman Category:Queen Hippolyta Category:Superboy Category:Superbaby